India v England Tests: Shoaib Bashir visa issue and Virat Kohli's absence in spotlight

A five-match Test series in 2024 is as rare as they come. England's red-ball tour of India, which begins on Thursday, is therefore significant not only because it offers fans a "traditional" full-length series, but also because it will be the biggest test of their eye-catching "Bazball" approach to Test cricket.

The opening match between the teams starts in Hyderabad and, while the focus was almost exclusively on spin and the nature of the surfaces in the build-up, events away from the pitch added another layer of drama to the proceedings.

England arrived in India with one of the most inexperienced spin attacks in decades. Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir were picked for one of the most daunting tasks in cricket for spinners, but only two of them will take the field on Thursday after young off-spinner Bashir could not travel to India in time due to delays in his visa.

Bashir, who is of Pakistani heritage, could not get his application approved and was forced to fly back to London from Abu Dhabi – where the team held their pre-series training – to resolve the issue, ruling him out of the first Test.

England captain Ben Stokes expressed his frustration at the turn of events, hoping the Somerset off-spinner joins the squad soon.

“I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team," Stokes said. "Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him."

India captain Rohit Sharma also expressed his sympathy. "I feel for him honestly," said Sharma.

"Unfortunately, I don't sit in the visa office to give you more details on that but hopefully he can make it quickly, enjoy our country and play some cricket as well. It's not easy for anyone, it could be one of our